Synopsis
The Wife is a 2021 Hindi horror drama film that attempts to blend regular and psychological supernatural horror. The movie is directed and written by Sarmad Khan and stars a couple, Varun and Arya, who reside in what seems like an upscale urban high rise apartment. Their problems begin when a malevolent force wreaks havoc on their lives and seems undetectable.
Varun and Arya rode off into the sunset after getting married and moving in together. Everything in their lives was perfect until the duo imagined a new chapter of their life to begin as they plan on relocating to a new home. This hope, however, becomes far fetched when soon after moving into the new apartment, supernatural elements begin to manifest themselves. Some unexplained phenomena like doors opening by themselves, strange sounds purging throughout the house, and shadows forming and fading away behind corners become typical. Arya is the first to experience the manifestation but Varun, to everyones surprise, assumes that whatever his partner is going through is merely the outcome of stress and fatigue she carries along with her.
Days go by and Arya’s condition does not improve. She turns delusional as a by product of paranoia, emotions, and chronic exhaustion. It isn’t long until it becomes clear that both the couples are going through some form of supernatural dilemma. The couple begins to grow apart from each other and mentally toxic to one another. That refreshing feeling that a new beginning offers quickly transforms to an ominous feeling of despair.
When traditional techniques stop yielding results, Varun contacts Dr. Raima Das, a paranormal psychology professor. The film goes deeper into the reasons for the haunting after Dr. Das is introduced. It turns out that the spirit trying to drag the characters into hell has a far deeper trauma and pain that reverberates into their lives beyond just the space in the apartment. As secrets are revealed and the guilt takes form, the personal and supernatural aspects start merging.
In addition to a ghost story, the film attempts to showcase the weight people possess within relationships and the dangers of undelt trauma, which can take on a multitude of disturbing forms. The haunting functions as a narrative device as well as a metaphor for lingering and unresolved guilt juxtaposed with disintegrated trust in the marriage.
Final Cast And Characters.
Gurmeet Choudhary as Varun.
In the first feature film of his career, Gurmeet Choudhary takes on the role of Varun, who is a firm skeptic and protective of his wife. The shift in belief towards a more desperate state with a captivating haunting is one out of many emotional peaks in the film. We can see a very strong Gurmeet on screen and in his psychological breakdown, he delicately portrays the self-disintegration of a man.
Sayani Datta as Arya.
As Sayani Datta plays Arya, she also plays the role of the wife who slowly begins to lose her sanity as the haunting escalates. Datta successfully portrays the character who is overwhelmed by vulnerability, which cementes Arya as a fully realized, multi-layered character. Many of the film’s strongest moments of tension and emotional impact hinge on her performance.
Shweta Dadhich as Dr. Raima Das.
Dr. Raima Das has almost balanced characteristics of explaining and reasoning within the narrative. As portrayed by Shweta Dadhich, she aids in framing the haunting not simply in terms of apparitions, but as reverberations of trauma inflicted in the past. This character attends to the brighter side of the analytical part which aids the story driven by fear.
Direction and Themes
In his direction, Sarmad Khan attempts to fuse the elements of horror with a deeper emotional anchor. This film is not just about ghosts and scares; it tries to process how emotional detachment, mental repression, and unaddressed trauma render people vulnerable to fear, paranoia, and psychological breakdown.
The apartment setting holds significant value, both in terms of visual and thematic representation. Unlike the classical, worn-out mansion which is typical in horror narratives, this film uses a modern high-rise apartment building. This choice is quite the opposite of what one would expect- It suggests that horror is not confined to desolate and unsettling spaces, but rather, it is as capable of infiltrating sleek and refined areas. This is similar to how emotional turmoil can disturb lives that seem perfect on the surface.
In The Wife, the key idea is grappling with confronting what we seek to hide, including from ourselves. The ghost, in many aspects, encapsulates things that were not captured, truths that were not told, and pain that remains unaddressed. It depicts how relationships can falter as a result of underlying and unresolved past issues.
Cinematography and Sound
Kedar Phadke’s cinematography for the film showcased the use of shadows, coupled with close framing and low light to enhance emotion within the apartment, causing feelings of unease and claustrophobia. Effective cinematography raises emotions to a peak in moments when the supernatural is felt as opposed to being seen, especially when it is implied that it is present.
Sound design accomplishes an enormous amount of work. Instead of relying on a myriad of jump scares, the film builds tension through whispers, silence, and ambient noise. Dhotekar’s background score is also effective in building tension, using minimalistic compositional devices instead of loud instruments.
Editing and Pacing
Mehul Bhatt and Manish More’s editing is consistent throughout the film, although some may deem it slower-paced in comparison to other films. The longitudinal flow of the film aids in building atmosphere at the expense of the audience’s engagement and dynamic action. While certain viewers relate to this strategy, others may not appreciate the slower pacing and prefer fast-moving sequences.
Reception
At first, the movie, The Wife received a large variety of comments from both critics and the public. While some claimed it was a great attempt to mix drama into a horror film, they praised the performances of the lead actors, and especially Choudhary’s debut. With that said, there were still some who critiqued the film for being somewhat formulaic in certain elements and predictable in the use of horror clichés.
Critics gave the film moderate marks with the IMDb mark as well due to the fact that most viewers did enjoy the psychological twist, however there was a large consensus that it lacked originality along with depth in the storyline.
Conclusion
The Wife sets itself up as a horror film that aims to venture into truly terrifying waters, instead of relying purely on jump scares and shock value. While claiming it does deliver an unconventional perspective on how a lack of resolution concerning certain emotions and conflicts can lead to one’s deterioration mentally, it does not reinvent the genre altogether.
It is evident that from the colleague’s performances, there was marked effort put into bringing life to the powerful themes of a guilt-ridden psychological tragedy. This added to the indeed confined setting of the film, transcending it into something stunning.
For those of the audience who enjoy truly terrifying films that hold deep emotional overtones and partially psychological depth, The Wife adds a tinge of specter that is equally catchy as it is tormenting, a window into the depths of the soul and the human condition.
Watch Free Movies on Fmovies